Office of Telecommunications – Cable Administration

Our goal is to help the citizens of Miami get the best cable service possible. To achieve this goal, the City has required that specific customer service standards be met by any Cable Company licensed within the City of Miami. These standards are listed in this web page. We want to ensure that all of the employees of the cable company are courteous, knowledgeable and helpful and provide effective and satisfactory service in all contacts with Subscribers.
 

What Can the City Do For Me?

What we can do:

• We can -and will- listen to your questions or complaints

•  We can -and will- work with your cable company to help find an answer to your issue.

• We can -and will- have someone from the cable company call you back after we have contacted them.

•  We can –and will- work with you and the cable company to either resolve your issue and/or to ensure that the cable company better understands the needs of the community it serves.

What we cannot do:

• We cannot be the first source you turn to. You should go to your cable company first.

• We cannot schedule your appointments with the cable company.

• We cannot install cable service or perform repairs to your service or property.

• We cannot accept payments, either in person or by mail. Please send payments to your cable company.

• We cannot accept returned equipment; it must be returned to your cable company.
   

 How Can I Reach the City’s Cable Office?
Call 311 or 786 331-5340. The more information you can provide, the quicker we can get a response for you from the cable company. If we need to call you back, we may not be able to reach you immediately and your resolution may be delayed. Information that we need includes:

• Your full name

•  Your address

• A daytime telephone number

• An evening telephone number

• Your account number

• A short but complete description of the question or complaint.
   

Tips for Getting Good Service

• If you have a question or complaint, always try to resolve it with your cable company first.

• Contact your cable company as soon as you can. If the issue involves billing, you do not want your account to be overdue.

• While we know you may be frustrated, if you are courteous with the customer service representative, the easier it may be to resolve the issue.

• Always get the name of the person who handled your call.

• Make sure you give the customer service representative the name as it appears on your bill or the account number. This information will help them resolve the issue.

• If you are sending your complaint by mail, do not send it with your bill – it may get lost. Make sure that you send it to the address shown on the bill.

• If you return equipment to the Cable Company, make sure that you receive a receipt. Keep this receipt for future reference.

• Be very specific about what it is you are asking about. If you have more than one question or complaint or if the issue is very complicated, it would be helpful to write down all the important points so that you can remember all of these points when you talk to the cable company. It is very helpful if you can tell your cable company specific dates, times and duration when you may have had interrupted service, missed appointments, poor reception, etc.

• Be specific about what it is you want the cable company to do.

• If you do not receive an answer to your question or complaint from the person who takes your call, ask to speak with a supervisor.
   

How Do I Get the Cable Company to Listen to Me?

In addition to courteous ser¬vice, you are also entitled to a rapid response to your question or complaint. If you do not agree with the response or do not hear from your cable company within a reasonable amount of time, please file a complaint by calling 311 or 786 331-5340.

Customer Service Standards

These customer service standards are adapted from City of Miami Ordinance 11936, adopted June 8, 2000, Section 11-18, “Customer Service Requirements” and have been restated for simplification.

Installation and Operation

• Maintain the Cable System and all facilities in good condition.

• Ensure that sufficient Cable System staff is available to provide safe and effective service.

• Maintain at least two (2) conveniently located business offices and/or service centers within the City limits. The business office shall be open at minimum from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. At the business office, provide adequate parking close to the office, covered waiting areas and adequate seating capacity in an air-conditioned space and enough counter personnel to keep wait time to an average of ten (10) minutes or less.

• Ensure that all technicians and other Cable Company representatives and subcontractors wear a picture identification badge that is clearly visible and contains the company name. Ensure that all Cable Company vehicles clearly display the company name, telephone number and logo. Ensure that contractor vehicles clearly display the contractor name, telephone number, contractor license number, if applicable, as well as the Cable Company’s name.

• Maintain a listed local, toll-free telephone number and a sufficient number of telephone lines, personnel and answering equipment or services to allow reasonable access by Subscribers and members of the public on a full-time basis, twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) calendar days per week including holidays. Ensure that knowledgeable, qualified customer service representatives are available to respond to Subscriber telephone inquiries, twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week including holidays, in, at a minimum, English, Spanish and Creole languages.

• Answer all customer service and repair telephone calls made under normal conditions within thirty (30) seconds, including wait time and within an additional thirty (30) seconds to transfer the call. Ensure that Subscribers receive a busy signal less than three percent (3%) of the time. Ensure that these standards are met no less than ninety percent (90%) of the time under normal operating conditions except for the period from 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.

• Maintain sufficient qualified staff and equipment to be available to accept payments; to exchange or accept converters or other equipment; or to receive Subscriber complaints or requests for service or repairs twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week.

• Initiate service installations, undertake normal repairs, or initiate action with respect to any Subscriber service complaints within twenty-four (24) hours.

• Ensure response to service calls twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days a week, including holidays when more than 25 Subscribers served from the same geographic area call with the similar complaint.

• Perform standard installation work within seven (7) calendar days after an order has been placed except in those instances where a Subscriber specifically requests an installation date beyond the seven (7) calendar day period.

• Notify Subscriber on the same day if scheduled installation is neither started nor completed as scheduled. Attempt to call Subscriber at home between the hours of 5:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on the day prior to any appointment as a reminder of scheduled installation work. If the call to the Subscriber is not answered, telephone the Subscriber the next day.

• Respond to service interruptions promptly and in no event later than twenty-four (24) hours after the interruption becomes known to the Cable Company. Respond to other service problems promptly and in no event later than forty-eight (48) hours after the problem becomes known to the Cable Company. Correct all service interruptions and service problems within the control of the Cable Company within forty-eight (48) hours after receipt of a complaint.

• Schedule appointments with Subscribers for installations, service calls, repairs, and other installation activities either at a specific time, during a four-hour time block during normal business hours, or with the approval of the Subscriber any time during a specific day. Clearly explain these options to the Subscriber prior to scheduling the appointment.

• Do not cancel an appointment with a Subscriber after the close of business on the business day prior to the scheduled appointment.

• Attempt to contact the Subscriber if at any time an installer or technician is running late for a scheduled appointment and reschedule the appointment, if necessary, at a time which is convenient for the Subscriber.

• Provide free installation to Subscribers who have experienced two (2) missed installation or service appointments due to the fault of Cable Company. If the installation was to have been provided free of charge or if the appointment was for service or repair, provide a credit to the Subscriber on the next bill of not less than Twenty Dollars ($20).

• Intentional service interruptions should occur only when necessary, for the shortest time possible, and if possible, avoided between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.

Disconnection

• Promptly disconnect any Subscriber who requests disconnection from the Cable System without charge.

• Within forty-five (45) days following the return of all cable system equipment, refund any security deposit and/or other funds due to the Subscriber on disconnected accounts.

• Do not disconnect any Subscriber for failure to pay a monthly charge or other fee until thirty-five (35) calendar days after the due date of the monthly charge or fee and provide the Subscriber with ten (10) calendar days advance written notice of intent to disconnect. If payment is received within thirty-five (35) calendar days of the due date and after notice of disconnection has been given, do not disconnect the Subscriber. If disconnected, resume service to the Subscriber as soon as is practical upon payment by the Subscriber in full of all fees or charges.

Information and Billing

• Provide written information to the Subscribers in each of the following areas at the time of installation, at least once annually, and at any future time upon request by the Subscriber:
  
  ▪ How to use the Cable Service;
  
  ▪ Installation and service maintenance policies;
  
  ▪ All products and services offered;
  
  ▪ Prices and service options;
  
  ▪ Channel positions of programming carried on the System;
  
  ▪ Procedures of the Licensee for the receipt and resolution of Subscriber complaints, the address of the Licensee and telephone number to which complaints may be reported, and the hours of operation;
  
  ▪ Telephone number and address of the City, and as required by County ordinance, the County office designated to handle cable complaints and inquiries;
  
  ▪ Availability and costs of a “lock-out” device and other parental control mechanisms;
  
  ▪ Information on the Cable Company collection, and disclosure policies for the protection of the privacy of the Subscriber.
  
   

•  Ensure that bills are clear, concise and understandable to Subscribers.

• Issue credits for service no later than the next billing cycle of the Subscriber following the determination that a credit is due.

• Upon request, credit the account of the Subscriber, prorated on a daily basis, a minimum of one (1) day, for any period of two (2) hours or more within a twenty-four (24) hour period during which a Subscriber experienced an interruption of service or substantial impairment of service, whether due to a System Malfunction or other cause within the Cable Company’s control, with the exception of service interruptions directly related to a rebuild, upgrade or routine maintenance of the Cable System which are planned, noticed properly to the Subscribers, and occuring during a time other than between 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. and lasting for four (4) hours or less.

• Pro-rate the first billing statement of the Licensee after a new installation or service change as appropriate and reflect any security deposit.

• Fully itemize the Subscriber billing statement, including Basic and Premium Service charges, equipment charges, optional charges, rebates and credits.

• Assess an administrative charge only after any balance is not received within ten (10) calendar days after the due date. This charge shall not exceed Five Dollars ($5) and shall only cover the cost of administrating the account.
  
  Programming
  
  If service offerings change so that the Subscriber shall no longer be able to obtain the same package of services, provide notice and complete description of this change to the Subscriber within thirty (30) calendar days and provide the Subscriber with the option to change their service within the thirty (30) day period following this notice.